ROSA CENTIFOLIA, var. MUSCOSA 
“ This Rose has not been many Years known in England : the first time I 
saw it was in the Year 1727, in the Garden of Dr. Boerhaave near Leyden , who 
was so good as to give me One of the Plants ; but from whence it originally came 
I could not learn. It is probably a Variety which was obtained by Seeds from 
some other double Rose ; for I have frequently raised Roses from seeds, and have 
always found the Seeds of double Flowers produce others with double Flowers, 
and those of single Flowers always produced the same ; but those from the double 
Flowers produced Variety of different coloured Flowers, scarce any of the same 
colour with those of the Parent Plant. This Sort sends out but few Stalks from 
the Root. These are covered with a dark brown Bark, and closely armed with 
sharp Thorns ; the Leaves are composed of Five oblong oval Lobes, which are 
hairy and sawed on their Edges ; the Footstalks of the Flowers are strong, standing 
erect, and are covered with a dark green Moss, as is also the Empalement of the 
Flowers. The Flowers are of the same Shape and Colour as the common Provence 
Rose, and have the like agreeable Odour. It flowers in June and July ; but is not 
succeeded by Fruit.” 
The above account is interesting as being the first description of 
the Moss Rose, but the first mention of it in England is contained in 
Fabers Catalogue of 1724. There is a specimen in the British 
Museum from the Chelsea Physic Garden with the date 1735. 
The Botanical Magazine of 1789 1 contains a drawing of the 
Moss Rose, but no information is given in the accompanying note. 
The next picture we find is by Miss Lawrance, whose plate 14 is 
the Moss Provence Rose. The flower is much paler than that of the 
Botanical Magazine . Andrews figures eight varieties of the Moss 
Rose, beginning with a single-flowered variety 2 which he says came 
promiscuously among other Moss Roses raised from seed. The plant 
from which his drawing was made came from the Countess de Vanda’s 
garden at Bayswater. Referring to the Common Moss Rose, he says: 
“ This beautiful variety is the spontaneous effusion of Nature in this country, 
of which we shall ever regard it as indigenous, since we have never heard of any 
importations of this species, but of frequent exportations.” 
Truly novel evidence of the origin of a plant ! In the Botaniste 
Cultivateur of 1 8 1 1 3 Dumont de Courset mentions the Rosier 
Mousseux, which he considers a centifolia in every respect, differing 
only by the addition of red hispid hairs spoils) with which its upper 
parts are clothed, and he protests against certain writers insisting upon 
its being considered as a distinct species. 
Roessig gives, under the name Rosa muscosal a pretty pink 
flower, much less mossy than the drawings of the Moss Rose to which 
we have already referred. He describes the Rose minutely, and states 
that it is found in the Alps. In the Botanical Register there is a 
good drawing of an almost single-flowered pink Moss Rose, accom- 
panied by a resume of the small amount of information at that time 
1 T. lxfx. 
2 Vol. i. t. 58-65 (1805). 
346 
3 Vol. v. p. 478. 
4 T. 6 (1801-1820). 
